His and Her Sunshine
by mikansora
Summary: Mikan, a spy. Natsume, a spy. Both were weaved into each other's lives by fate far long before they were born. Natsume has no will to live. Mikan is full of life. They are supposed to be working together...too bad they are constantly at each other's throats. (Sorry, I'm really bad at summaries!) NatsumexMikan
1. Spy Life

Disclaimer: I don't own Gakuen Alice! The lovely Tachibana Higuchi owns the rights!

This is my first (kinda) fanfic! My summary sucks, so let me just say that this will have a ton of romance (natsumexmikan) in it. So, please tell me what you think! Thank you and I hope you like it!

**Mikan's POV**

_Beep. Beep. BEEP._

"Ugh, urusai!" I yelled, slamming the alarm clock buttons. I opened one eye and peeked at the time. _7:47. _

"7:47 already?! That means I have like five minutes to get ready!" I rolled out of bed and ran to the bathroom. I brushed my teeth and tied my hair into pigtails and quickly got changed. _7:53. _I grabbed a slice of bread and my backpack and sprinted out the door. _I can't afford to be late again!_

I arrived at the school gate right when the first bell rang. _Gakuen Alice. _The huge, Victorian-styled gate was somewhat intimidating, but then again, it was one of the top three elite schools in Japan.

"It's Sakura Mikan!" I heard a voice whisper. "It really is! You can tell by the way she walks and her two long pigtails! She's so cool! I wish I was her!" More whispers followed.

"I heard her parents were associated with the royalty in Britain!"

"Really? I heard her parents were famous movie stars in America! That explains why she can speak English so flawlessly!"

"I heard she's really good at judo and could take on ten people with ease!"

_Ugh. Again with the rumors! _Even in the same dark blue school uniform as everyone else, I somehow still attracted attention which I tried so hard to avoid.

I shielded my face and dashed to my homeroom before the second bell rang.

"Sakura Mikan?" Jinno-sensei called.

"Here," I said, raising my hand.

"Today, we will be looking at The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald today. Sakura-san, please read this." He scribbled a line on the board.

"'Whenever you feel like criticizing any one,' he told, 'just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages you've had.'"

"That was excellent, Sakura-san. Thank you." I blushed. I hated reading out loud.

I sat in the back next to the windows. I had the view of the front of the school—the gate, the huge fountain… it closely resembled the garden of a palace. This school was filled with rich kids, geniuses, and well… secrets. That escalated quickly.

It was two years ago, when I was assigned to this school by Japan's Intelligence Agency. I was under a division that was to be kept a secret from the public—the division for adolescent spies. Only a small handful are under this division—their parents must've died either on or off mission and so their kids were recruited. Without a choice, I was taken under their wing 11 years ago when I was 6 and began training to be a spy.

This was my second mission—to keep a close eye on the school and to protect it. The headmasters of Japan's three top elite schools were closely related to the government, and chose to hide extremely important, confidential documents on the grounds of the school. I was to report and stop any suspicious activity. The staff and the students were oblivious to the potential danger, and it was to be kept that way.

"Mikan-chan?" a familiar voice asked.

"H-huh?" I looked up and saw Yuu Tobita, the inchou.

"Mikan-chan, you dozed off again," he said, "It's lunch time now."

"Ah… gomene! It's become a habit now," I laughed, embarrassed.

"I-I… uuhhh…" he stuttered, "H-here!" His cheeks were a bright red as he handed me an envelope.

"P-please accept t-t-t-this!" he stammered, "I-I really like you, M-M-Mikan-chan!"

Even though things like this happened every day, I was still speechless. I could feel everyone staring at us, and my cheeks grew red. I took the envelope from him and smiled.

"A-Arigato, inchou! It's an honor that you feel that way about me. I really like you too, but just not in that way. Gomenasai!" I said, bowing my head down, "Honto-ni gomenasai!"

There was a short moment of silence before everyone in the class started clapping. "That's Sakura Mikan for you, rejecting people in such a cool way! It's like an honor being rejected by her!"

I could feel my entire face getting red.

"Ee-eh, thank you Mikan-chan. It's no wonder why so many guys confess to you. You are such a kind person!" he responded, pushing his glasses.

"Arigato, Inchou! I can say the same about you."

He smiled and then left. _I can't get attached to this school. I can't. I can't get attached to anyone here. That would just be them in danger._

I sighed and took out three bento boxes from my backpack. One bento box had rice and an egg and some veggies. The other two bento boxes were filled with takoyaki and an assortment of sweets.

"Mikan!" another voice shouted. It was Anna and Nonoko-chan and… Hotaru. _Ah! Hotaru… she doesn't like me much._

They all sat down next to me.

"Anna! Nonoko! Hotaru!" I smiled.

"You have such a big lunch every day!" Anna laughed cheerfully, "It looks so yummy!"

"Hehe, I made it myself!" I said proudly.

"Hm… Mikan, getting all the boys, huh?" Nonoko-chan eyed me playfully, "You're so lucky!"

"N-not true!" I shook my head vigorously. _Crap. I have to keep my distance. _

"Gomene, I just remembered I have something to do! I'll see you guys later!" I quickly packed up my lunch. "Gomene!"

I could feel Hotaru looking at me suspiciously. I grabbed my bento boxes and ran out the classroom and into the bathroom.

_You can't get too close with anyone. It'll only put them in unnecessary danger. _

I sat in one of the stalls of the bathroom and ate my lunch quietly. When the bell rang, I went back to class.

In what seemed like forever, the final bell of the day rang. I slung my backpack on my shoulders and raced out of the classroom and out of the school.

I lived in a nice, little apartment complex alone. There was a huge flat screen TV against the wall with a nice couch and a small coffee table in the living room. In my bedroom, there was just a bed, a table, and a dresser. My apartment was pretty empty, but I tried to brighten it up with colorful posters taped onto the wall.

I turned on the TV and connected it to my base of operations.

"Mikan! How was your day today?" a cheerful choice called.

"Narumi-sensei!" I yelled happily. The screen showed a young man with dazzling purple eyes and light blonde hair. He was sitting in his big, black chair in his office. "It was good, just like usual!"

"Good, I'm glad to hear that, Mikan."

"Narumi-sensei, I miss you! It gets so lonely here sometimes!" I sulked. Narumi-sensei practically raised me. He was friends with my parents and he was the one that found me.

"Wakata, Mikan. I'm very sorry about that, but I have something very exciting to tell you."

"Nani?" I asked.

"We sent over another agent to work with you. He will be going undercover at Gakuen Alice too. Isn't that great? Then you won't be so lonely anymore."

"Honto?" I jumped out of my chair, "Wai wai! When is he coming?"

"He'll be at school tomorrow. I'm very sorry that you can't get too close to anyone at school, so I hope Natsume-san will be of a companion to you."

"Yay! Arigato Narumi-sensei!"

"Bye, Mikan. I'll be checking in with you tomorrow. Ja-ne!" He winked and the screen faded.

_Another agent? Wow, this is the first time I'm going to be meeting another agent! I wonder he's like and how he got here._

_Crap! I'm late again! _I stuffed the last piece of melon bread into my mouth and sprinted out the door.

I made it right to my seat just when the bell rang. I sighed of relief.

"Ohaiyo, Mikan!" Anna waved.

"Ohaiyo!" I waved back.

Jinno-sensei cleared his throat. "Class, today we have a new student. He came all the way here to Osaka from Tokyo. Let's all welcome him."

A raven-haired boy stood at the front of the classroom. He had a couple of piercings on his ears and he had no emotion on his face whatsoever. I immediately was drawn in by his crimson red eyes… they were mesmerizing and I couldn't take my eyes off.

_A new student? Is he the one Narumi-sensei was telling me about yesterday? Wow, we're in the same class!_

"I'm Natsume Hyuuga," he said impassively, "Yoroshiku." _Natsume! He is the one!_

The room was silent and then it bursted with the squeals of all the girls.

"He's so cool! So mysterious!" Even the boys seemed to think he was cool. _So I guess he's the type of guy that has every girl falling at his feet…_

"Hyuuga-san, you may take a seat anywhere you like." _Well, there was only one empty seat. And it was next to me._

He walked down the aisle and sat down beside me. I turned toward him and smiled.

"Hi! I'm Sa-"

"Tch. Urusai, you're annoying," he sneered, staring straight ahead. _What. What?! Is this the Natsume that Narumi-sensei was talking about? Can't be. He's so rude! What is with him?_

"Look, I was just trying to be-"

"Didn't I already tell you to shut up?" he said again, with the same impassive face. _What is wrong with him? He can't be the one he was talking about! Does he know that I'm an agent too?_

I spent the rest of class trying to figure him out. When the lunch bell rang, the whole class gathered around him.

"I'm Sumire! Nice to meet you, Natsume-kun!" There were screams from all of the girls trying to get close to him.

"Don't talk to me as if you know me so closely," he smirked.

Unforunately, that made the girls scream even more. "Ah, you're so cool! Kakkoii!" they screamed. I was starting to get a little annoyed myself.

I grabbed my bento boxes and stood up. As I was about to leave the classroom, I heard him say, "Sakura Mikan. Where is she?"


	2. Mishaps

Disclaimer: I don't own Gakuen Alice! The lovely Tachibana Higuchi owns the rights!

Here's the second chapter! Sorry, it's kinda long… but I hope you enjoy it anyways! Please tell me what you think! It would make my day.

:)

**Natsume's POV **

"Sakura Mikan. Where is she?" I demanded.

A voice called from the back. "I'm Sakura Mikan."

The crowd that surrounded me parted and made a pathway for her to come up.

_It's the girl who sits next to me. _

"What do you want?" she said, her bright brown eyes glaring. _This is Sakura Mikan? You've got to be kidding me. This willy dilly of a girl works for Japan's Intelligence Agency? She looks too innocent. Someone like her… _

I stood up and tilted her chin, taking a good look at her face.

"You look like an ugly baby walrus," I smirked.

"What did you just say?" she asked, slapping my hand away. The guys in the class looked appalled at what I just said.

"What did you just say about Mikan?" a voice asked angrily. A lot of whispering followed.

"Come with me." I grabbed her wrist and headed out the classroom, ignoring everyone's gasps.

It was windy on the rooftop. It was quiet and all I could hear was the wind blowing. I double checked to see if there was anyone around. There wasn't.

I could hear her grumbling behind me.

"You're Sakura Mikan, huh?" I said emotionlessly.

She crossed her arms and nodded. "Narumi-sensei sent you, didn't he?"

"Naru, that twat… yeah, he did."

"Well, is that all you wanted to say? Then, I'm leaving." She turned around and retreated, her two long chestnut-colored pigtails swaying in the wind.

Before she reached the door, the wind blew her skirt up, revealing her underwear._ What is she? Five years old? Who wears polka dotted underwear at her age?_

"Nice polka dot panties," I smirked. She immediately turned around, cheeks turning a light shade of red.

"W-what? Y-You p-p-pervert!" She yelled, now cautiously holding down her skirt.

"You were the one that showed me, you stupid airhead."

"What did you just call me? I-I didn't s-show you! You looked!" she stammered, "H-Hentai! You piss me off!"

"Calm down. There was nothing to see anyways, polka dots."

She clenched her fists. "If you weren't an working for JIA(Japan's Intelligence Agency), you would so be dead right now."

I raised an eyebrow. _Is she trying to threaten me? _I scoffed as she angrily slammed the door.

**Mikan's POV**

_That pervert! How dare he! _

I stomped all the way back down class where Anna and Nonoko-chan were eyeing me.

"Ne, ne, how did it go?" Anna asked.

I tilted my head. "What do you mean? How did what go?"

"You don't have to hide it from us, Mikan!" Nonoko-chan said playfully, poking my arm.

"Huh? I really don't know what you are talking about…" I answered, eyebrows knitted together.

"With Hyuuga Natsume-kun!" they both chimed.

"He is incredibly annoying and perverted and he pisses me off," I grumbled. They exchanged confused glances and then started to laugh.

"What?" I asked, bewildered by their reaction.

"It's nothing," they giggled.

After school, I raced back home, careful as to not bump into that pervert.

"Narumi-sensei!" I cried, "Why did you send someone like him?"

He laughed, "Mikan, try to get along with him."

"I'm trying!" I sighed, "But h-he s-s-s-saw my—" I was too embarrassed to say it.

"What did he see?" Narumi-sensei demanded angrily.

"M-My… Nevermind!"

"Mikan, a kawaii girl like you… Don't let him touch you. Don't let him get near you. If he touches you, I will personally make sure he regrets it for the rest of his life."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Never mind it. But Natsume is going to be living next door to you, alright? Just be aware."

"Next door?" I sulked.

"Hai hai. So Mikan, how was school today?"

"It was fine. Nothing suspicious happened. Nothing suspicious has ever happened the two years I've been here. I know it's only my second mission and you want to keep it simple for me, but am I really needed here? I mean the principal doesn't even know who I am or that I'm there keeping an eye out on the documents…"

"Gomen, Mikan," he said sullenly, "But the time will come." _The time will come. The time will come? What does he mean? _"Just continue to keep this a secret from everyone, okay?"

"What do you mean—"

"I'll talk to you later, Mikan." And with that, the screen faded.

_Geez, Narumi-sensei… leaving me all confused like that. _I flounced back on the couch and let out a sigh.

I rummaged through the fridge and the cupboards, searching for food. _Ah, looks like I'll have to do some grocery shopping tomorrow. All I have left is just three packs of ramen and an expired custard bun. _

For dinner, I made myself one of the packs of ramen I had left and sat down on the couch. I flipped through the channels, looking for something to watch. _What is there on the news today? Oh, the yakuza are at it again… _*Click* _Hm, maybe I'll just watch this anime show._

I indulged in my small bowl of ramen noodles. _I have to save the other two packs for lunch tomorrow. And the custard bun for breakfast. Wait, does that moron have any dinner?_

After a minute of debating with myself, I decided to go next door and check up on him. I knocked on his door a couple of times.

"Oi! It's me, Sakura Mikan!" I yelled, knocking on the door. I waited a couple of moments before the door finally opened.

"You're so loud," he sighed, "What do you want?"

"I was just wondering if you've had anything to eat yet," I smiled, "since you just moved in."

I peeked inside. It was completely empty with nothing but his suitcase and a sheet spread out on the ground. By the looks of it, it didn't look like he had dinner yet.

"I can make you some ramen if you want," I offered.

"Tch, do whatever you want," he said expressionlessly.

"Oi! It's me! Open the door!" I yelled, knocking on his door. The door flew open and he was standing there, with the same emotionless face.

"I don't have much ramen left, so this is all I could make. Gomene, I know it's not a lot." I smiled and handed him the small bowl of ramen. "You can just give me the bowl back tomorrow."

He nodded, unsure of what to say.

"Ehtto, it's me again!" I said, knocking on his door.

"What do you want this time?" he asked, "You're so annoying."

"Sorry! I just thought that… it doesn't look like you have any pillows and it looks so uncomfortable sleeping on that sheet on the ground so I just thought that—"

"Are you inviting me to sleep in your bed with you?" he asked impassively. _What. This crazy hentai is getting the wrong ideas again!_

I stared at him blankly. "N-n-no way! You idiot! I never said that! Don't get the wrong idea! I just came here to give you a pillow and a blanket! H-Here!" I shoved the pillow and the blanket in his face. He took the pillow and the blanket from me with one hand, and with the other hand, he placed it against my chest.

"How disappointing. It's so flat." He shut the door, leaving me speechless.

"You pervert!" I screamed, "Natsume, you big stupid pervert!"

I returned to my apartment room, sulking. _That brat… how dare he! That stupid perverted idiot! It was my mistake for treating him so nicely!_

I woke up extra early to avoid him. I dashed to school on my bike, cautious of not bumping into him. The school day went by slowly as usual. I avoided talking to anyone for too long and I had lunch in the bathroom again. Sitting next to that pervert wasn't so bad since he never acknowledged my presence.

As usual, I scurried out of school when the last bell rung. I pulled my leg over my bike and strapped my helmet on. I decided to ride my bike today since I had to go to the supermarket to buy some groceries.

I pedaled along the wide pathway, gradually quickening my pace. I raced to the end of the road and made a sharp turn. It took ten minutes to get to the supermarket. I stopped my bike and locked it outside of the grocery store.

"Obaa-chan!" I called cheerfully, "Konnichiwa!" An old lady stood behind the poultry section. She had fine, gray hair and a small, wrinkled face.

"Ah Mikan! You're here again!" Obaa-chan replied, smiling, "I haven't seen you in a while."

"Well, I finally ran out of food, so here I am! Onegai, two fish!"

"Sure thing," she said, wrapping two fish in the wrappers. "Here you go, Mikan."

"Arigato, obaa-chan! I'll see you later! Take care!"

I pushed the shopping cart away into the produce section. I grabbed lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, tofu, and carrots, and headed toward the fruits. I grabbed several apples, two boxes of strawberries, and some bananas. I pushed the cart toward the dry food aisles. I picked up a loaf of bread, two packs of seaweed, six packs of ramen, four bags of gummy candy, a bag of rice, and an assortment of pudding and cakes. Quickly, I went to the drinks aisle and grabbed two cartons of soy milk.

After I paid for everything, I hauled my two big bags of food to my bike. I strapped it down to my bike and proceeded to go home.

It was getting darker as the sun began to set. I saw the various colors of pink and blue blending together in the sky as I pedaled my bike. I passed by the park and stopped when I heard a scream cut short. I quietly hid behind the bushes and peeked out, eyeing three suspicious looking men wearing sleeveless shirts, revealing some sort of tattoo. They seemed to be circling around something. I took a closer glance and saw an unconscious little girl being taken away. My eyes widened and I examined the three men. _Those tattoos. I've seen them somewhere before. They were on TV last night! They're the ones that's been causing trouble lately!_

Without thinking, I jumped out from behind the bushes and ran toward the three men.

"Let her go!" I shouted angrily. The three men glanced at me.

"What do you want, little girl?" one of them asked, "Are you trying to mess with us? Do you know who we are?"

"Unfortunately, I do know who you are. And I demand that you let her go."

The second man snorted. "You're so nosy. Why should we do that? I guess we'll take you too." As he swung his arm, I grabbed his fist before it could hit me and flipped him over. The other two men came leaping forward and I jumped up, kicking them both. The first man bounced back up to his feet again and managed to punch me, but I immediately retaliated and punched him back. He staggered for a moment and I took the opportunity to kick his groin. I grabbed the unconscious little girl, swung her on my back, and ran to my bike.

I heard footsteps behind me and I knew that more men had gathered. _Damn it. _I got my bike and began to ride away, but one of the men caught the back of my bike and sent me lurching off to the side. I shielded the little girl from the fall, but all of the seven men were surrounding us. _Crap! My arm. _I scraped my arm against the ground and there was a trail of blood. I peeked out my legs and there was a gash on my leg. I darted my eyes up and saw similar men, also wearing sleeveless shirts and sporting a tattoo on their right arm. I sprung up, with the girl on my back, and kicked two of the men. I launched myself forward and flipped another man using one hand, ducking before he could hit me. The other four men eventually got a hold of me and using one hand to fight was against four was too much. I struggled to break their grasp, but I was knocked out.

I opened my eyes, and with a hazy vision, saw a large group of men gathered around in a circle. My hands were numb and I realized they were tied tightly behind my back, as were my legs. They had propped me up against the wall, along with the little girl who they put next to me.

_Where are we? _I observed my surroundings. _There are stairs leading up, so we must be downstairs in some basement._ _And all these guys… they're part of a yakuza. What the hell did they want with this girl? _I tried to break free of the rope, but my efforts were futile. I darted my eyes around the room, silently looking for something to cut the rope apart. The girl beside me finally opened her eyes.

"Are you alright?" I whispered. She nodded. She looked frightened and her eyes were watery, not daring to say a word. "Daijoubu, I'll get us out of this," I whispered again, trying to assure her.

"Hey, the brats are awake!" called one of the men. They all turned around. I glared at them.

"Let us go!" I yelled furiously.

"Not until her parents give us back the money they owe," replied one of the men. _Money? So her parents owe a debt._

"Do you think it's right to kidnap this girl as a way to collect back your money?" I scoffed, "You are all pathetic. Let her go!"

The men inched closer. I scooted myself in front of the frightened girl, refusing to let them get near her. "Daijoubu, I won't let them touch you," I smiled at the girl. She was huddled up into a ball, legs shaking.

Some men came forward with clubs. One of them moved close, cupping their hands around my face. "How old are you? What a beauty…" the man said.

I spit in his face. "Let us go," I demanded. The man was taken back, and he wiped his face with his hands. He had a malicious grin on his face. "Watch what you're doing, little girl," his tone changed into something more spiteful—more calm and firm. He grabbed my collar, lifted me up with one hand, and threw me against the wall. My shoulders slammed against it and I slumped down. _Ow. Damn it! If only I wasn't tied up! _

"Onee-chan!" the little girl cried out.

"Sh," I said, "I'm okay, don't worry." I smiled, trying to reassure her.

"That's enough," one of the men said, sitting on the worn-down couch. _So he's the leader of these people? _He was massive and extremely muscular. He had a lazy eye so it looked like he was extremely angry. He stood up and slowly walked toward us. I scrambled to the front of the little girl, trying to shield her.

"Miss, do you know that her dad owes us a large sum of money? We can't let her go until her dad pays us back what he owes."

"That's not the girl's fault," I said bitterly, "Can't you solve this using more peaceful means?"

"I'm afraid I can't," he said mockingly. He stepped around me and picked up the trembling little girl.

"We'll have lots of fun together, until your dad comes around," he smiled dryly, tugging her hair.

I immediately emerged forward and head butted him. He staggered back a few steps, but when he looked at me, I could tell he was furious. He grabbed me by one of my pigtails and attempted to hold me up. I winced at the pain of my hair being held up. He nodded at the men who were holding clubs. My eyes widened.

"Don't hurt onee-chan!" the girl yelled, struggling to get out of the man's grasp.

"Don't talk," I told her, "It'll be fine." I didn't want the men with the clubs to go after her. I wiggled around trying to release myself. My heart beat faster and faster when the men started to move in, but all of a sudden, apples came flying in. All of them were aimed at the heads of the men holding the clubs, and not one of them missed. The leader of the yakuza dropped me out of surprise when his head was hit.

They all turned around, seeing who or what was there. I pushed myself forward, and peeked at the doorway. _Natsume._


	3. Mission Revealed

Disclaimer: I don't own Gakuen Alice. Higuchi Tachibana has all the rights!

This chapter is extremely long, sorry! I hope you will still enjoy it though. Please review and tell me what you think! It'll make my day! and it will motivate me to write faster hehe

**Natsume's POV**

_Isn't this that idiot's bike? What is doing here? _A bag of fruits had spilled out and it looked like the bike was abruptly pushed off to the side.

I observed the park and saw some guys getting into a car. I looked a little closer and saw a girl with two pigtails slumped in a lifeless heap being dragged into the car. _Don't tell me that's her… That stupid, reckless airhead. Getting caught so easily, does she really work for JIA?_

I grabbed her bike and waited until the car took off. I trailed closely behind it, straying from the road and taking shortcuts.

I stood at the doorway, tossing an apple up and down over and over again.

"Where's that idiot girl?" I asked monotonously. One of the men pulled her up by her hair. She shrieked in pain.

"Do you want your little friend back?" he said with a dry smile, "Then, come and-"

"I don't remember saying that I wanted her back," I smirked, "I don't care what you do with her. But I'm hungry and I saw all the food she bought."

The men looked at me strangely. "You don't care?" one of them asked.

"Suit yourself," I shrugged emotionlessly, "But without her, I'm not getting dinner, and that's going to be a problem."

"Nat. Su. me…" I could hear her clenching her teeth and boiling with anger. "Untie me!"

All of the guys holding clubs charged. I jumped, grabbing the top of the doorway, and then swung myself out, kicking two of the men. I grabbed the club that had fallen out of his hands. Five more of the men holding clubs were circled around me. I charged in the direction of that idiot girl, whacking three of the men in the process. One of them managed to hit my arm twice and then one slash on my back. _Tch. Damn these morons._

"Natsume! Behind you!" she screamed. I turned around and quickly blocked it with my forearm. _He was going to hit my head with this. _I turned around again so that he was right over my shoulder, and threw him down.

"This is so annoying," I muttered.

"Now untie me!" she shrieked. I sighed and calmly walked over. Everyone was gathered around the leader sitting on the couch, observing me.

"Why is he holding a girl?" I asked.

"He kidnapped her," she mumbled, "I have to get her back." I untied the ropes that were secured around her feet and her hands.

She stood up and walked over to the leader. I noticed a gash of dried blood on her leg and her arm. He was chuckling as if he was amused. Boldly, she grabbed the girl by the waist from the man and untied her.

"Hn. Do you really think that we would let you leave? You persistent brats." he snarled. All of his men were circled around us.

"The police are outside right now. So, I think the answer to that is yes." I snickered sarcastically.

The whole incident was wrapped up smoothly. The police took care of everything after that. The little girl was returned to her parents. It turned out that the yakuza were adding on excessive interest to their debt without any notice.

"Arigato!" the little girl squeaked, "Arigato, onee-chan, onii-chan!"

The idiot smiled saying, "Matanee! Bye bye!" _She's so annoying. I hate that annoying smile of hers. Is it possible for someone to be this annoying?_

"Natsume," she cleared her throat, "A-Arigato for—"

"I wasn't trying to save you. Don't get any ideas. I'm just hungry, that's all."

She bit her lip. "You wasted all my apples! You owe me at least 10 apples!"

"What happened to you? Did you fall?" I pointed to her injured arm and leg.

"N-No! I didn't fall. Well, not on accident. They yanked me off my bike. But whatever, let's go home."

**Mikan's POV**

_I can't tell what he's thinking. Him and his stupid face that displays no emotion whatsoever! That whole time we were dealing with the yakuza, he kept his calm and cool façade. _

I walked back with my bike to the apartment with him.

"What do you want for dinner tonight?" I asked, breaking the silence.

"I don't care. Anything's fine."

"You should just eat at my place, so I don't have to bring another bowl over."

Natsume sat on the couch, flipping through the channels and finally decided upon an anime show. I cooked up some carrots and tofu and made onigiri. I arranged it neatly onto two plates and brought it over to the couch. I plopped down next to him and set his plate on the coffee table in front of us. As he reached forward to grab it, I noticed him slightly flinching.

"Natsume! Are you injured?"

"What? It's nothing, don't worry about it." He shrugged.

I grabbed his arm and he winced in pain. "You are!" I said, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"It's not a big deal. I'm fine."

I took a bite into one of the onigiri and set my plate down. I grabbed some herbal balm and a bandage from one of the cabinets.

"Take your shirt off," I commanded.

"Why? I think you're the pervert here." He smirked.

"D-Don't get the wrong idea! I was just going to take a look at your shoulder. You got hit there pretty hard, didn't you? And your forearm too…"

"No," he bluntly refused. I forcefully lifted his shirt up to take a look at his shoulder, but I met with a surprise when I saw all the scars and wounds on his back.

"Natsume…" I said hesitantly, "Ne, what happened?" I reached out, hands hovering gently over the scars on his back.

"I told you, it's nothing." _Nothing? This can't possibly be nothing. _I looked at a long slash along his upper back and several scars and wounds on his lower back.

"You want me to take my shirt off, right? Fine, here." His upper body was completely exposed. My cheeks were starting to turn red and I quickly saw the huge purple bruise swelling on his left shoulder. I looked away as I rubbed some herbal balm onto it.

"Gomene, Natsume," I said, starting to wrap his shoulder up in a bandage. He was athletically built—muscular, but not the bulky type. As I wrapped his arm, I could feel his muscular biceps.

"You idiot," he sneered, "Why are you apologizing?"

"I don't know what kind of a past you've had, and I understand that you don't want to share it. But at least tell me now when you get injured or something. If I didn't get caught, I could've gotten out of that mess myself, but because I did, you had to help. And so you got hurt because I was simply too weak and—"

"BA-KA. Stop fussing over nothing. It's not your fault."

I finished wrapping his shoulder. "P-Put your shirt back on," I mumbled, "And we're supposed to be partners! So, tell me when something like this happens. Please."

"Okay, I got it. Stop fussing about it now, you ugly baby walrus."

"No, ugly!" I picked up my plate and began to eat again.

"Pig," he smirked. Just then, the TV screen notified us of an incoming call from Narumi-sensei.

"Narumi-sensei!" I yelled at the screen. He was smiling, until he saw Natsume.

"Mikan, what is Natsume doing in your apartment? And why didn't you answer earlier?"

"Ehehe… we got held up," I giggled nervously, "And we're eating dinner together." I showed him my plate full of food and took another big bite into an onigiri.

"This idiot here acted without thinking and got into some trouble with the yakuza. I tried to keep a low profile, but this idiot here…" he said grimly.

"Mikan! Daijoubu? Are you hurt? What happened?"

"I'm fine! But, Natsume… because of me, Natsume hurt his—"

"Damare. You're so nosy. But Naru, shouldn't you tell her what she's really here for?" Natsume interrupted.

"What do you mean, Natsume?" Narumi-sensei asked.

"Don't play dumb. I know we're not here to protect some documents. That doesn't make sense."

"Of course, Natsume," Narumi-sensei sighed, "You've caught on as easy as that."

"What am I really here for? What are you talking about?"

"Mikan, listen to me. Gomene, but I lied to you. It was for your own safety and it was for the best. There are no documents hidden in the school, however the headmaster is in possession of some very important documents. There are three of them, and if they aren't handled properly, we could be in huge trouble. We do not trust him, but we cannot cause any disturbances. The real reason why I sent you so early was because some of his henchmen were suspicious of you. They think your parents passed something on to you. This was for your safety. At the same time, I want you to now keep an eye on the headmaster and retrieve those documents. He is a very dangerous and powerful man, so please be careful. Gomen, Mikan. I couldn't afford to tell you and put you in anymore danger until someone came to help you. Gomen."

I was speechless. _These past years… my mission was a lie._

"Narumi-sensei…" I said, "I… I understand. Really, I do. But you know, I hate when people lie more than anything."

"Mikan, gomen. But now that Natsume is your partner, I want you to infiltrate the upcoming ball and banquet. To do so, both of you must be one of the top five students in your exams which are four days from now. Good luck. Mikan, please try to understand me. I'm very sorry." The screen closed off.

"Ba-ka," Natsume said, "You are really naïve. This is why someone like you doesn't belong in this type of stuff."

"Natsume… I really thought I could trust Narumi-sensei. I know he did it for my sake, but what I believed these past two years—it was all a lie. Whatever."

Natsume grabbed a bandaid from the first aid box and grabbed my arm. "There's a huge cut on your arm," he said, "and your leg too."

"Arigato, Natsume." I smiled at him, "Sorry about today."

"Tch. Baka, I already told you to forget it, didn't I? And your food is getting cold."

_He's right. _I quickly finished my onigiris and the carrots and tofu. I took his plate and mine and set it in the dishwasher.

"Natsume, do you like strawberry cake?"

"You really are a pig, inside and out."

I scowled. "Urusai, ugly!" I brought over two slices of cake back to the couch and gave him one.

"Uwai! It's my favorite cake!" It took me less than a minute to finish it.

"Glutton," he smirked, finishing up his slice, "Thanks for the meal. You heard what Naru said. We have to score in the top five in order to go to that ball, which means a baka like you will have to study every minute of every day to have a small chance of getting a good score."

**Natsume's POV**

_This is not a good way to start my morning._ I woke up to the pounding on my door and the yelling of a very annoying girl.

I flung the door open. "Shut up, you're so loud!" I said. I examined her—there were huge bags under her eyes and one of her pigtails was higher than the other. She was in blue bunny-printed pajamas.

"B-Baka! Why aren't you wearing a shirt?" she yelled, embarrassed, turning away. _Tch. She always gets embarrassed over stuff like this. What a kid. _"A-Anyways, that's beside the point. I stayed up all night studying like you suggested," she heaved, "I don't understand any of this! Onegai, please help me!" She clasped her hands together and bowed.

_She actually stayed up all night to study? _

"What do you need help with?" I asked sullenly.

"I don't get this. Or this. Or this. I don't get any of this!" She looked like death, with her bloodshot eyes and dark eye bags. "And the test is on Tuesday! That's three days!"

_The last thing I needed on my Saturday morning was a very annoying girl asking for help on schoolwork. _I sighed and motioned for her to come in.

I sat against the wall and nodded for her to sit down.

She plopped down in front of me and spread her textbook and worksheets out on the ground. Her eyes were averted toward the ground, "P-Put on a shirt, hentai! A-And how is your arm feeling?"

"Do you want help or not?" I asked, glancing at the textbook on the ground, "This is all math."

"I know," she sulked, "Math is my worst subject."

"Do you even have a best subject?"

"Urusai!" she scowled, "I'm too tired to put up with your rude insults."

I picked up one of the worksheets and looked at the first problem. "This is so simple," I said, "What don't you get about this?" I explained the problem to her, only to see her even more confused.

"Ba-ka! You just add the first row with the second row because it will make this middle number right here become 0! It's not rocket science!"

Just then, my cell phone rang. _Who is calling me at this hour?_ I reached for it and unplugged it from the charger. I read the caller ID—Ruka.


	4. Aim for the Top Five!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gakuen Alice or any of the characters!**

**Hi! I'm trying to write more and more. This chapter drags a bit but I really hope you enjoy it anyways. Please review it and tell me what you think! It would be much appreciated. Thank you and enjoy!**

**Mikan's POV**

"Who is that?" I asked. Natsume picked up his phone and answered the call. I took a look around his apartment. It was similar in structure compared to mine—kitchen connected with the living room and the bedroom off to the left side. His bed sheet was spread out in the corner of the living room with the blankets and pillows that I gave him. In the other corner, there was a large suitcase still unpacked. Judging from that, I could tell the bedroom was completely empty.

"Ruka!" he said, sounding relieved. _It's odd. That's the first time I've ever seen him slightly happy… Ruka? Is that his girlfriend? _

"Don't worry, I'm fine," he said, "It was nothing." _I can't help but wonder about his personal life. Natsume… what a mysterious guy. Who is this Ruka person that puts him at such ease? I wouldn't be surprised if it was his girlfriend. He seems to be popular with girls—which I don't understand how or why since he's stupid and perverted. _

"I'll see you soon, Ruka. Stay safe." With that, he hung up.

"Who was that?" I asked again, kicking my legs in the air. I was comfortably sprawled on the carpet, lying on my stomach.

"No one you need to concern yourself with it," he answered coldly, "Now hurry up and do this problem."

I scrunched up my face, showing a sign of annoyance. I took a look at the problem and immediately felt tired. I was studying the whole night without sleeping. _I'm so hungry and tired. _It was just past 10 o' clock. I laid my head down and I could feel my eyelids growing heavier.

"I-I don't get how to do…" And I drifted off into sleep.

**Natsume's POV**

_Did she fall asleep? Geez… what a hassle. _I tilted my head back against the wall and took a look at my phone again. _Ruka said something about being careful… Something about the headmaster's growing suspicion. I should've looked at the idiot's files before coming here. _

She was sound asleep. _When she's not so loud and annoying, she's kinda… What am I thinking? _Watching her made me feel calm and peaceful. I sighed and decided to carry her back to her apartment. I propped one arm under her knees and the other under her back. A surge of pain shot at my shoulder , but I ignored it.

I set her down on the couch and laid a blanket over her. I stood there for a few seconds, staring at her serene sleeping face. _She looks like a little girl. _

It took a couple more seconds to pry my eyes away. I rummaged through her cupboards and found a loaf of bread. I cut the loaf into slices, toasted them, and spread some butter and jam on them. _A loaf of bread for two people… tch, she does like to eat a lot._

I took two plates and put four slices of toast on each plate. I poured orange juice into two tall glasses and set them down on the coffee table. I turned on the TV, sitting on the carpet, leaning against the couch. I could hear her steady breathing.

**Mikan's POV**

I opened my eyes, vision slowly growing clearer. _Huh? Did I fall asleep? _I sat up and looked down at the blanket that covered me. _Did Natsume put this here? Did he bring me back to my own apartment? _

"You're finally awake," a voice called out, "You sleep like a pig."

Natsume was sitting on the ground near my feet, watching TV. _Pig? _

"Did you just call me a pig?" I spat, "Well, it takes one to know one!"

"You seem to be back to your energized, annoying self, so you should start studying again." I glanced at the coffee table. He had brought my textbooks and worksheets over, and beside my textbooks, was a plate of toast and a glass of orange juice.

"Did you make this?" I asked. He looked away, ignoring my question. I smiled, "Arigato, Natsume!" The toast was cold, but I didn't care. I happily munched down on the four slices of toast and took the last sip of orange juice.

"Ah, that was yummy!" I said, "Now it's time for lunch!"

"Baka!" he yelled, "You are seriously the biggest pig I've ever seen. Hurry up and study or I'm leaving."

I sulked and climbed down the couch. We sprawled out in front of the TV where there was plenty of space for us. I untied my pigtails and wrapped a headband around.

"I'll do my best!" I cheered.

"When your hair isn't in pigtails, you look less like a five year old girl. Put your hair down more often."

I gushed, "What's that supposed to mean?" I averted my gaze and pointed at the textbook, "Let's start."

For the next couple of hours, Natsume helped me with any problems I didn't understand—_which was a lot_.

"What don't you understand about this?" he sighed.

"You're so impatient!"

"Or maybe you are just too stupid." Every other minute, Natsume's patience was tested to his limits and he would yell at me. _I don't blame him though… I suck at math. _

"There!" I exclaimed happily, "I got the answer! Look!" I held up my scratch paper and showed him proudly. "That's the answer, right?"

He looked over the paper monotonously and nodded, "Now do the next fifteen by yourself."

_Fifteen?! _I gulped as I scanned the next fifteen problems. "Can't we take a break? We've been studying for so long! It's dinnertime!"

"You're so whiny," he sighed, "Fine. Go suit yourself."

**Natsume's POV**

_She's always smiling. It pisses me off. But I have to admit, her cooking isn't all that terrible. _

I set the bowl down and said, "Thanks for the meal. Now you have some work to do."

We spent the rest of the night studying. I grew even more frustrated from her inability to understand math. By midnight, she was slowly dozing off.

"N…Natsume… let's call it a day… you should get some rest," she mumbled, eyes slowly closing. _Baka. _

_**The next morning…**_

"Natsume! Ohaiyo!" a cheerful voice rung in my ears, "I'm ready to study again today!"

_She might be ready… but I'm not. I don't want to deal with her stupidness again. _

We studied all day again. And the day after that, I saw her studying quietly by herself at school. After school, she pounded on my door and asked for help again.

"Why are you trying so hard?" I asked her, "If you don't make it into the top five, Naru will probably tweak the results so that you will be one of the top five."

"That's exactly what I don't want. I don't want to take someone else's spot unfairly, so I'm trying to get into the top five with my own ability and hard work. Plus, I owe you at least that much for helping me study." _Tch. What a persistent brat. _

_**The day of the exam…**_

We biked to school together while I quizzed her. We arrived to class as the bell rung. Jinno-sensei distributed the first part of the exam— Japanese. I was the first one done and I turned it in up at the front of the classroom. He gave me the second part of the exam which was English. I finished that one quickly too. Finally, he gave me the last part of the exam— math. When I completed it, I turned it in. I was the first one to finish.

I glanced over at the idiot girl. She had just finished the second part of the exam and was moving on the last part. She scanned the exam and frowned. _Shit. Does she not understand any of it? _

Suddenly, her bright brown eyes lit up. Her frown slowly faded into a smile and she rapidly answered the problems.

"You have one more minute to finish," sensei announced. The idiot girl was the only student that didn't finish the exam yet. She'd been stuck on the last problem for fifteen minutes. Her eyes lit up again and she quickly scribbled down her answer and turned her test in.

"Good work, class," sensei said, "Results will be posted tomorrow."

_**The next day…**_

I wouldn't have bothered checking the results, but I was a little bit curious to see how that idiot did. There was a huge crowd of people standing in front of the school, reading the results, all disappointed they didn't make it high enough to be invited to the ball. Compared to everyone else in the crowd, I was taller than most, so I could easily read the results.

"Natsume-kun!" an annoying voice squealed, "You placed first! My parents are going to buy my way into the ball so I could go with you!" _Ugh, it's that annoying girl with the curly, permy hair. _

"This is the first time Imai-san didn't place first! Natsume-kun's a genius!" someone shouted, "Wow, he's so cool! The new student right away gets to go to the ball!"

I ignored the comments and scanned the results.

_Hyuuga Natsume_

_Imai Hotaru_

_Tobita Yu_

_Umenomiya Anna_

_Sakura Mikan_

_That moron did it. She actually made it into the top five. Unless if Naru already altered it… no way. Naru wouldn't risk angering her. _In the corner of my eye, I spotted her covering her eyes, afraid to look at the results. I made my way over to her and blew in her air.

She jumped up and glared at me, "Oh Natsume, it's just you."

"Baka, you can look," I nodded at the results, "It's fine." She slowly removed her hands from her face and peeked at the top five. Her eyes did that thing again—where it slowly lit up.

"N-Natsume…" she started, "I-I-I did it! Yata!" She nearly pounced on me.

**Mikan's POV**

_I can't believe it. I actually got into the top! _My heart was slowly calming down, but I couldn't seem to stop shaking.

He said monotonously, "You did well. For an idiot like you, I'm surprised you did well on Japanese and English without much studying on those. Math really is your worst subject."

"What about you? You only helped me study but you never actually studied yourself. What are you anyways?" _Natsume is so mysterious… I never know what he's thinking. He never shows any emotion on his face and he beats Hotaru and Iinchou so effortlessly._

A gold envelope awaited on my desk and on Natsume's desk. I examined the envelope. "Sakura Mikan" was written in fancy calligraphy on the front. Anna and Nonoko gathered around me.

"Omedetou Mikan!" Nonoko shouted, "I saw you studying yesterday. Looks like it paid off!"

I smiled, "Arigato, Nonoko. And Anna, omedetou to you!"

Anna giggled nervously. "I'm going shopping for my dress today!"

"A dress, huh? I guess you have to wear one of those to events like these."

"Of course, Mikan! It is an exclusive ball after all."

A bigger crowd gathered up, surrounding Natsume and I.

"Lucky! Mikan is going to be wearing a dress! I want to go! Maybe I can buy my way in!" someone shouted.

"And Natsume is going to be wearing a tux! Kyaaaa!" a girl screamed. I shook my head and glanced at Natsume. Thankfully, the bell rung and everyone scurried back to their seats. I sighed in relief and slumped down in my chair.

When I got home, there was a large package waiting at the doorstep. "Natsume," I called, "This is for you too."

I turned on the TV and accepted Narumi-sensei's call. "Mikan!" Narumi-sensei yelled into the screen, "How was school today? Congratulations on making it to the top!"

"Arigato," I answered curtly, "So what's this box?"

"Still getting the cold treatmeant…" he mumbled, "Gomen, Mikan."

Natsume tore open the package. Inside the box were two dresses, a tuxedo, and three pairs of formal shoes.

"Nobara picked out the two dresses for you! She wanted you to pick which one you liked more." _Nobara-san! I haven't seen her in so long. She was more like a friend rather than a higher up boss to me. _

I picked up the first dress. It was a rose gold champagne color and it radiated off an indescribable elegance. It was strapless and it flared out at the waist all the way to the ground. It was so simple, yet elegant. It was also strapless and the idea made me uncomfortable.

I took a look at the second dress. It was a long red dress, with a large bow tied at the back and an intricate lace overlay across the shoulders. It was beautiful, yet the crimson red of the dress somewhat intimidated me.

"Do I have to wear these? Can I wear something less long and poofy? These dresses draw too much attention and I won't be able to move!" I groaned.

"Don't worry. These clothes are designed so that you can easily move around in them. And of course, those dresses are suitable for a ball. At the ball, I want you to find out who the headmaster is working with and see if there's anything suspicious. I have sent a limo to take you both to the ball and back. Be careful, Mikan, please. Natsume, if you let anything happen to Mikan…"

"I can take care of myself," I said, "And Natsume can worry about himself."

"Tch. Whatever." Natsume shut off the TV, "I'm leaving." He took his clothes and shoes that came in the package and left.

_**The day of the ball…**_

_It's finally here. _I flopped in my bed, pillow covering my face. _Which dress should I wear? The champagne one is strapless, but the color wouldn't attract as much attention as the red one. _I debated with myself for a bit and finally chose to wear the champagne dress. I twirled around in front of the mirror, admiring the elegance of the dress. _Heh. Who am I kidding? Am I really going to wear this? _

I sighed and slipped on the nude heels that complemented the dress. _These heels do feel like they are fairly easy to walk and run in. _I stared at myself in the mirror. I brushed my hair back and heard a voice echoing in the back of my head—_"When your hair isn't in pigtails, you look less like a five year old girl. Put your hair down more often."_

I grunted and decided to let my hair loose. _But it's definitely not because Natsume told me to._

**Natsume's POV**

_What is taking that brat so long? _I decided to go over and knock on her door.

"Hurry up," I said, pounding on the door, "The limo is waiting."

"I can't go out looking like this," she mumbled, "This is so embarrassing!"

Slowly, the door creaked open. She peeked out, so I could only see her head. "P-Promise me you won't laugh!" she stammered.

"Whatever," I said, "Just come out already." Reluctantly, she stepped out and shut the door behind her.

"D-Don't laugh!" she yelled. I was speechless when I eyed her head to toe. _I hate to admit it, but the scatterbrain looks… pretty. With her hair down, she looks a lot older and sophisticated—like an actual 16 year old. _

Her long hair cascaded down her shoulders, partially covering her collar bones. I couldn't seem to look away, but I managed to. "You took long enough," I muttered under my breath.

It took the limo more than half an hour to get us to the ball. It was up a huge hill where a castle-like building sat. It was grand, and I could immediately tell that security was strong. I spotted three cameras at the entrance, carefully hidden in marble statues.

"As expected of the headmaster," she mumbled, "We're finally here."


	5. The Ball

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gakuen Alice or any of the characters. Higuchi Tachibana does!**

**Hey everyone! Okay, so some of the things that are happening in my story closely resemble some things that actually happened in Gakuen Alice. For example, in the previous chapter, where Natsume says Mikan looks prettier with her hair down. I would like to think of this as an alternate universe. And sorry about this extra long chapter! I hope you enjoy it anyways! And please review it! If you do, you would make my day and it really motivates me to write more and to write quicker hehe**

**Mikan's POV**

_Wow. It would be an understatement to say that the entrance was grand. It was intimidating and excessively extravagant. And this castle-like building is owned by the headmaster._

I stepped out of the limo, clutching on to my dress. _This dress is easy to move in, but it still makes me feel vulnerable. _Natsume grabbed my arm before he stepped out.

"Here," he said, sliding it into my hand, "If you get into any trouble, just press this button." He paused, and then added, "Naru told me to give it to you."

_Heh. Natsume is worried! _"Thanks, Natsume," I smiled, sliding it into a hidden pocket in my dress. We walked past the front garden, toward the entrance to the ball, which was carefully guarded by two men.

"Invitations, please," the man said in a robotic voice. His eyes were drained of color and he forced a dry smile. I handed him the invitation and smiled back politely. Natsume handed his invitation to the man standing on the other side of the entrance. They opened the heavy glass door for us and we walked inside.

It was breathtaking. A large, grand staircase was placed in the center of the ballroom. It was draped with a red carpet and extended toward the rest of the room. Everyone was dressed elegantly, making light conversation with each other. _All of the people here are filthy rich and have high authority._

A large table was placed on both corners of the room, covered by a gold tablecloth and various French sweets. My eyes widened and my feet automatically stepped forward in the direction of the food table, but I was stopped short by Hotaru, Iinchou, and Anna.

"Oi! Mikan!" Anna called, waving his hand.

"Oh, you guys!" I said excitedly, "Hotaru and Anna! You both look so gorgeous!" Hotaru was wearing a simple purple gown with thin straps and it poofed out near her waist. Anna was wearing a peach colored gown that hugged her body and had a slit through the side of her leg.

Hotaru stared blankly away, ignoring my compliment. "Arigato, Mikan!" Anna replied, "You do too! You are literally making eyes turn. You look like you just came out of a movie!"

I gushed, "That's not true. You are too nice!" I looked over at Iinchou. "Iinchou, what do you think? Hehe, this is my first time wearing a dress, so I feel a little embarrassed but—"

"M-Mikan! It looks really good on you!" he interrupted me, "You look wonderful. S-So please don't feel embarrassed!"

"That's so kind of you to say, Iinchou!" I smiled. He reached out his hand and invited me to dance. I graciously accepted and took his hand.

"I'll see you around," I whispered to Natsume, "Be careful."

I followed Iinchou to the center of the room where the thin gold platform was. The room was spacious, and it was certainly large enough to fit over 200 people. There were at least 50 pairs of people dancing on the gold platform.

"I'm not really any good at dancing," I apologized. _I had to learn how to ballroom dance before I came to this school, but it's been so long… and I never really even got the hang of it. _

"Daijoubu," he assured me, "Just follow my footsteps." He guided every step of the dance, but I still ended up stepping on his foot several times.

"Sorry, Iinchou," I apologized again, "I'm so bad at dancing!"

"You're doing fine, Mikan!" he said. Natsume suddenly barged through, breaking my contact with Iinchou.

"What are you doing?!" I asked. There was a group of young women fawning over him in the corner.

"He's danced with you long enough, right?" he eyed him.

"E-eh… yes," Iinchou sighed meekly, "I'll find you later, Mikan."

Natsume pressed me closely to his body and my heart started to race. _That's weird. I didn't feel like this when I was with Iinchou. Why do I feel so nervous all of a sudden? Why is my heart beating so fast?_

**Natsume's POV**

"Baka!" she said, "What was that for?"

"I just wanted to escape from those people," I nodded in the direction of the group of women.

"Still," she sighed, "You didn't have to interrupt Iinchou and I!"

"Were you really enjoying it?" I asked coldly.

"Well, yeah! Iinchou is my friend." _This stupid scatterbrain doesn't get it. When we walked into the ball earlier, she had no idea how many guys had their eye on her._

"You idiot," I shook my head, "You are such a naïve birdbrain." I started to move my feet and she started to pick her feet up too.

"What's up with you always insulting me?" she demanded, "You've never called me by my name even once."

I pulled her in even closer, my arm gripped tightly around her waist. "M-Mikan," I repeated, "Mikan."

She was taken by surprise and didn't respond for a while. "T-That was so sudden," she said.

"Are you complaining now?"

The corners of her mouth slowly lifted into a smile. "Arigato, Natsume!" she grinned, "I bet I'm the first girl you've ever called by their first name, right?"

"Urusai," I said. _How did she know? _ "You're really bad at dancing," I changed the topic.

"Well, sorry!" she pouted, "But Iinchou said I was doing well!"

"Do you like him or something?" I asked.

"N-No!" she stuttered, "What makes you think that?" I shrugged.

"It's weird though. I'm doing a lot better dancing with you. I haven't stepped on your toes yet." She smiled proudly.

"That's because I'm basically moving your feet for you." One of the guys that I saw earlier looking at Mikan, approached her. I took a closer look at him and realized he was the heir to one of the biggest business companies in Japan.

"Ojou-chan," he bowed, "Would you care to dance?"

Before she could say anything, I answered for her. "Sorry, she's mine," I said impassively, pulling her away.

He looked at me haughtily and sneered, but decided to walk away as so not to disrupt the sound level.

"I can answer for myself," she said, "What if I wanted to dance with him? What do you care anyways?"

"I don't. Who would care for a flat-chested gluttonous scatterbrain idiot ugly girl like you anyways?"

She scowled, "You big hentai! Whatever, I'm done. I'm going to go and snoop around." She stormed her way out of the dance platform. The room gradually quieted down when the headmaster began walking down the grand staircase. The headmaster was seldom seen, so there was an element of mystery clouding him. Though he was well on his way to his mid fifties, a young woman walked beside him, arms linked.

Her neck was adorned with a flashy diamond necklace and her lips were a perfect, bloody red. She wore a tight black dress that reached past the floor, draping behind her as she walked. She had Japanese features, but she wasn't fully Japanese.

"Thank you everyone for coming today," the headmaster said. His voice flowed with dangerous charisma. "Before my wife and I make a toast, I would like to introduce the top five students of the elite Gakuen Alice that were able to come here today because of their excellence in academics." He cleared his throat.

"Hyuuga Natsume." People stepped out of the way as I approached the staircase. "Please come up here."

"Imai Hotaru. Tobita Yu. Umenomiya Anna. Sakura Mikan." All of them followed up the stairs. We stood in a horizontal line, behind the headmaster.

"I would like to acknowledge these brilliant individuals for their exception academics and athletic abilities. To have gotten this high in one of the most elite schools in Japan is a very challenging and difficult feat. I am very proud to say that I have these individuals attending my school." Charisma radiated from the headmaster. He didn't speak with amity though; it was more assertive and controlling. I could sense his thirst for power. Suddenly, his eyebrows knit together, but quickly returned back to normal, so that it was almost unnoticeable.

I looked at his ear and saw a tiny earpiece. _Something must've gone wrong. _

I quickly glanced at Mikan. She was fiddling with her thumbs, obviously disliking the spotlight.

"Thank you all for coming," he said once again, raising his glass of champagne in the air. Everyone did the same, making a toast. We retreated back down the stairs and in the corner of my eye, I saw the headmaster talking to the air. _He is communicating with someone through that earpiece. _

I scanned my surroundings for Mikan. She was nowhere to be seen. _Where did that idiot girl go? She was just here a second ago._

A hand tapped my shoulder. "If you're looking for her, she went that way." _Imai Hotaru._ She looked at me indifferently.

"I'm not looking for her," I replied impassively. She turned around and walked the other way.

**Mikan's POV**

_Wai wai! Apple cider and macarons and éclairs and cream puffs! _I grabbed a glass already filled with apple cider, picked up a plate, and put one of each dessert on it. I quickly chugged down the glass of apple cider and stuffed the desserts down my throat.

_Now I need to go follow the headmaster. He definitely looked distraught by something. But how do I get to the second level without anyone noticing? I definitely can't just go up the grand staircase. There's far too many people. _

I stared at the second floor. It was at least 20 feet up and a marble railing outlined it. I scanned the room again, and decided to look in the bathroom. The bathroom was unnecessarily spacious, lined with a large marble counter and gold bathroom stalls. I checked the entire bathroom for people—it was completely empty. I looked around and saw a window in the back of the bathroom. It was just big enough for me to climb through. _If I can't get to the second floor inside, I'll have to do it outside. _

I opened the window and tried to squeeze myself through, but the poofiness of my dress made it difficult. I tore two layers of the skirt of the dress off, which left the very last layer. I quickly climbed through the window before anyone could come and then closed it.

I found myself in the large garden in the back of this building. It was filled with every kind of flower imaginable. Large cherry blossom trees acted as the dividers between different types of flowers and benches were lined up against each tree. The garden was so big; I could see no end to it. I stepped back and looked up. There was a large open window above which led to the second story, but it was more than 20 feet high above the ground. I wrapped the torn off layers from my dress around my waist and decided to climb up the cherry blossom tree closest to the window.

The trunk was thin enough for me to easily wrap my arms almost fully around it. I slowly pulled myself up, using my feet to propel myself upwards. _Damn it! These stupid heels are so hard to climb with. _

I slid back down on the ground and kicked my heels off. I used the extra fabric from the dress and tied the shoes to my waist. I started to climb up again, quickly kicking my way up. I didn't dare look down from where I was.

I estimated five minutes to climb up to where the window was. There was a branch that reached out near the window, but it was too thin to support my weight. I glanced above me and saw a thicker branch. I continued to climb up until I reached it.

_How high up am I? I must be at least 25 feet up above the ground. _I steadied myself on the thicker branch and slowly began to crawl toward the window. I pushed the cherry blossoms out from my face and reached the farthest part of the branch that could support my weight and tied the two layers of dress so that it created a rope. I tied it two the branch and put on the heels again.

I gulped when I looked down. _If I miss the window or this knot unties… I'm dead meat. _I made another knot around the branch just to be extra sure and slowly leveled myself down the trunk. I climbed down the tree trunk, gripping on to my dress fabric rope with one hand until I was on the same level as the window. I reluctantly let go of the trunk with my other hand and quickly grabbed onto the fabric rope. I kicked away from the trunk and sent myself hurling toward the window.

My heart skipped a beat when the branch slightly lowered itself from my weight and the force of my swinging. Instead of flying through the window, I missed it and hurled toward the wall space just below the window. I immediately let go of the fabric rope and grabbed onto the lower rim of the window.

I was dangling off 25 feet from the ground. I was barely holding on and could feel my fingers slipping. I hurriedly kicked off the wall and lifted myself up and pushed myself in. I tumbled in and hoped no one was there.

_This part of the second floor was the part that wasn't visible on the first floor, so this area shouldn't be as closely guarded. _

I looked around, saw no one, and sighed of relief. I quickly scrambled to my feet when I heard footsteps.

"I thought I just heard something," I heard a voice getting closer. There was only one room to on the left. I thought back to the security map I studied beforehand. _There are no security cameras in this room. _I sneaked inside, shutting the door behind me.

"I swear I heard someone," a guard said.

"It's just your imagination," another guard replied. I heard more footsteps.

"The headmaster says that something went wrong in the transaction and that he's requesting more." _He? Who's he?_

"There's been a delay in the plan too. The bomb hasn't been prepared yet." _Bomb? What bomb?_

My ears perked up. The footsteps slowly started to fade. _I have to follow them!_

I waited until the footsteps completed ceased. I couldn't risk being caught. I looked around the room and found a vent at the top of the wall. I climbed on top of the couch and pulled myself through the vent. I moved myself forward with my arms until I heard the guards again.

I peeked through another vent opening and saw them in another room. It was a standard office, except a million times more extravagant. There was a large marble desk with a black wheel chair that sat on a patterned red carpet. There were several shelves that lined the room with books and expensive statues displayed. One of the guards was on the phone.

"The headmaster will call you later." The guard hung up and set the cell phone down. He hurriedly ran out of the room—probably to inform the headmaster.

From the vent, I spotted a security camera in the corner of the room. _That's probably the only one since there is already plenty of security outside the door. _The security camera moved back and forth, left to right. _It takes five seconds for it to move from the left side of the room to the right side. It stays on one side for ten seconds. But that's only the first interval. _I observed the camera a second time. _The second interval, the camera stays for exactly 3.5 seconds the left side. It takes it 2 seconds to travel back to the right where it stays for exactly 3 seconds. _I carefully timed my move. When it reached the right side of the room, I crawled out from the vent. I placed my hands on the tall cabinet below the vent and flipped off the cabinet, landing on my feet. I carefully looked at the caller ID on the cell phone and took a picture of it with my phone. _Damn it. The camera's coming to face this way again. _I dove behind a couch, and laid still. _The camera doesn't have a view of this side. Aw damn it again. People are coming._

I waited exactly ten seconds and as fast as I could, I climbed back up to the vent and closed it. As soon as I closed it, the same guard came back in, his eyes suspiciously scanning the room, and then left. _He heard me. Shit. But, he won't report it to the headmaster until he's sure. _

I crawled back the way I came from. I checked to see that the room was clear of people and climbed down. I closed the vent, leaving it the way it was before and put my ear close to the door. There was no sign of movement or sound. I gradually opened the door and quietly shut it.

I could hear voices coming closer and getting louder. _I need to leave now. I can't go back into that room. They're already suspicious. But how do I get back down? _ _The branch is too far away. But I don't have any other choice. They're coming!_

My mind was racing. Without giving it a second thought. I ran towards the window and threw myself out with as much force as I could, hoping to reach the branch.

Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to reach the sturdy part of the branch or the fabric rope. I was barely holding on with one hand to the weakest part of the branch and I could feel it slowly breaking off.

_If I fall from here, I'll definitely be found out. I could end up dying or getting seriously injured. What do I do?_

My palms were sweaty and my heart was pounding. _The branch… it can't hold for much longer. Na… Natsume. Natsume! Natsume! _

I searched my hidden pocket for the device he gave me. _Shimata. I put it in the other pocket in the first layer of my dress. _

The branch snapped. My eyes widened with horror as the branch and I started to fall 25 feet onto the ground.

"Natsume," I whispered, shutting my eyes, "Natsume!" I tried to suppress my scream. I prepared myself to lessen the damage of the fall.

I felt a huge whoosh of wind and suddenly, an arm grabbed me by my waist. _What the…?_

I opened my eyes and looked behind me. It was Natsume.

"N-Natsume! What are you doing here?" I was embarrassed and taken by surprise. _I'd called out for him… and here he was. I was five seconds away from hitting the ground. Natsume had untied the rope from the branch up top and moved it down to the lowest branch. We were still petty high up though._

We swung back and landed on our feet on the sturdy branch.

"You're so heavy," he said impassively, "And you called out for me."

"Well, sorry!" I grumbled, "And I had no choice, so don't get ahead of yourself!" I realized he was still holding onto me and I rapidly pushed his arm away, but he tightened his arm around me even more.

"Wait," he said, "Be quiet." It was a good thing there were so many cherry blossoms partially hiding their view. Two guards peeked out the window and decided that there was an intruder.

"They're going to go check that every person who came is still there in that room. Security will be a hundred times tighter. We need to get back," Natsume whispered emotionlessly as he let go of my waist.

_How is he so calm and impassive? My heart is pounding… but it doesn't seem to be because I'm afraid and anxious. _

I untied the fabric of my dress from the tree and tied it around my waist. I looked up again at the window. The same two guards had come back. Natsume and I stayed still, backs against the trunk of the tree.

"Who's there?" the one on the left yelled, holding a gun. Both were wearing sunglasses, shielding their eyes. The one on the left had an ugly scar slashed down the side of face. The one on the right had a twisted grin, as if he was enjoying himself.

Somehow, as if he had the senses of a tiger, the one on the right sensed us and stared down where we were hiding.

_All he can see is probably our feet since the cherry blossoms are in his view. Can he really see us? _His grin slowly became more deformed, more twisted. Without hesitation, he reached for his gun, aimed it right in our direction, and fired.


	6. Wounded

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Gakuen Alice or any of the characters. Higuchi Tachibana does!**_

_**Hey guys! I just finally got around to finishing the manga and I am outraged with Hotaru's ending. So don't worry, Hotaru is going to have a bigger part in this story! But other than that, mikan and natsumeeeeee omggg. I've been really busy with school lately too, but I'll try my best to update more often.**_

_**Anyways, sorry if this kinda drags on. I really hope you enjoy it! Please review it! It'd make my day and also provide me motivation to update faster! hehe**_

**Natsume's POV**

_That bastard is taking out his gun._ _Is he really going to—_

The gun fired, and a loud, booming "bang" sounded. My eyes widened with horror when I realized the gun was aimed at Mikan. I threw myself in front of her, slamming her against the tree trunk, using the back of my body to shield her.

I felt a sharp pain below my shoulder, like fire was penetrating my body- every fiber in my being shattering and ripping apart. I fell forward, leaning on Mikan to hold myself up. There was a burning sensation in my back and it took every effort to suppress my agony and pain.

Mikan looked like she was going ballistic. I cupped her mouth to stop her from making any sound. She stared at me, eyes flaring with anger and shock and revulsion. I waited until I was sure the guards were gone and uncovered her mouth.

"Na… Nats-s-sume…" she whispered, a tear dropping down her cheek, "I… W-We need to get you to the hospital. W-We n-need to get you to the h-h-hospital now." With shaky hands, she reached for her phone, but I stopped her.

"We can't do that," I winced in pain, "They'll question us. What would a teenager be doing with a bullet wound?"

"I-I don't care!" she yelled, stifling back her tears. "Why did you do that?" she blubbered, "I would've been fine!" She tore off the part of the tuxedo that was drenched in blood by my wound and tightly wrapped a layer from the fabric of her dress around my shoulder. She pressed hard against the wound, applying pressure on it to control the bleeding.

"Shut up, I'm not dying. I wouldn't have been able to sleep at night if you got hurt and I could've done something about it. I would've done this for anyone, so stop worrying about it. We have to head back to the ball before they notice that we're missing, so let's go. I'll clean this up in the bathroom, so don't worry. Let's hurry before the guards come out here." It took all my energy to talk and my breathing was slowly shortening.

She nodded, "S-Stop talking already! Just hold on to me. No way I'm letting you walk by yourself until we get back to the ball." She forced me onto her back. I was lying limply over her shoulder.

She climbed down the tree quickly with me hanging on her back.

She jumped off the last couple of feet from the tree onto the ground and landed lightly on her feet. She sprinted as fast as she could to the window of the girls' bathroom, making sure that I was in a steady position on her back.

She went into the biggest stall in the bathroom and set me down on the toilet. I clenched my teeth, suppressing all my urges to scream, when she took off my top.

I placed my hand on the wound, feeling how deep it was.

"It's not too bad," I mumbled, "It didn't go down that deep." I looked at my hands; they were covered with crimson red blood. "Wait, someone's coming."

_The bathroom floor is covered with blood… It does help that this is a girls' bathroom._

I looked at the ground outside of the stall and saw a pair of purple sandals. Whoever it was, had stopped their feet.

Mikan looked at me apprehensively. The girl outside the stall reached under, placed a bag full of items in our stall, and walked out.

"Natsume…" she began, "That was Hotaru. Those shoes… I'm sure of it."

Mikan rummaged through the bag. She looked at me, mouth agape. "There's a bandage in here, some antiseptics, a new tuxedo top... and a note." _Imai Hotaru? There's always been something off about her._

She read the note. _"Dispose of everything in this bag and put it in the trash. I'll come by and pick it up later."_

"W-Who is she?" Mikan asked anxiously, "Whatever, we'll deal with that later. Right now—"

I felt my wound again and let out a grunt as I yanked the bullet out of my flesh. I heard a "cling" on the ground as I dropped it. Mikan watched me, horrified and shocked at the same time.

"Stop moving," she finally mustered up, "It's my fault so I'll do it for you." She unraveled the bandages and gently lifted my arm up. She applied the antiseptic and wrapped the bandages around my arm, making sure it was tight and pressed against my skin. "I'm really sorry" she said, "I'm sorry and thank you for saving me. I promise I'll be the one to save you next time."

_What's with this idiot? This is more than her hundredth time apologizing. _

"Stop apologizing making a big deal out of it," I looked away, "You're annoying. I told you that I would do this for anyone."

She handed me the new garments, but then took it back and decided to help me put it on. She slid my arms through the sleeves and buttoned the shirt up. Her cheeks couldn't have been anymore red. She put the final garment on me and placed all my bloody clothes in the bag. The floor looked like a bloodbath. She grabbed dozens of towels and attempted to wipe it all away, disposing the bloody towels in the toilet. Within a couple of minutes, the floor looked almost spotless. She tossed the

"Can you walk?" she asked, lightly tugging my shoulder. I nodded. The spot below the flank of my right shoulder grew more painful each second.

**Mikan's POV**

_This is all my fault. Why did he do that? Natsume… I'm so worried about his condition. He was sweating so much before and his lips were a pale blue. It's a lot better now, but I'm worried that the infection will spread and his condition will worsen. We need to leave this stupid ball as soon as possible. _

I walked behind him, checking for any sign of pain or discomfort. I tensed at his every move, afraid he was going to collapse.

"Baka, I'm not dying," he said, ruffling my hair. It caught me by surprise. I stood there in a daze until I heard the door open and the soft "clangs" of wine glasses and the small chatter between people.

_What did he do that for? That was so unexpected. Ugh, he's always doing things at his own pace. _I hurriedly wiped away any remaining tears on my eyes and cleared my throat.

Iinchou, Anna, and Hotaru came, asking what we were doing inside the bathroom—_more specifically, what Natsume was doing inside the girls' bathroom. _

I took a look at Hotaru's shoes. They were the same pair of pretty purple sandals. _Who are you, Hotaru? Are you on our side? Why did you help us? _I stared at her, hoping to get some type of response, but she just looked away uninterestedly.

"Uuummm… Natsume was in the girls' bathroom because he—"

"We were doing some things together," Natsume answered with a smirk on his face. With his left arm, he pushed me against the wall and leaned in close to my face.

My eyes grew big when I realized what he was saying. "No! No! Nonono! That wasn't what happened! Natsume you baka! You pervert! That wasn't what happened! Believe me! N-N-Natsume you big hentai! Don't get any wrong ideas!" I protested. _If he wasn't so badly hurt, I would punch him in the face. _

"Then what was he doing in the bathroom with you?" Anna asked, eyeing me down.

"N-Nothing! I promise you guys that it's not what you think!" I wailed desperately, resisting the urge to smack Natsume.

"Don't be so embarrassed," Natsume sneered innocently.

My face was boiling red with embarrassment and anger. "NAT. SU. ME!"

"More importantly, they are gathering everyone up for some unknown reason, to check if everyone is still here," Hotaru said.

_Phew! Thank goodness for the subject change. I'm gonna kill that stupid hentai later! And find out who Hotaru is. _

The guards tried to make it seem like an insignificant deal—_thank the gods or else they would've noticed that Natsume and I were gone for a while. _

A guard finally approached us with a clipboard in his hand. "May I ask for your names, please?"

We all answered with our names and the guard excused himself and walked off.

"Looks like it's time for the last dance," Anna sighed, "Tonight went by really fast." The headmaster appeared again.

"I deeply apologize for the inconvenience. We wanted to check that everyone who came tonight was still here and that everyone is enjoying themselves. We are wrapping up the ball with tonight's last dance. Thank you all for coming and I hope to see you at our next event." He raised his tall glass filled with a dark red liquid—Japan's most expensive wine. Hundreds of wine-filled glasses were raised in the air and then the music started again.

Anna went and danced with Iinchou. Hotaru had several guys following her.

I was about to dance with Natsume, when a guy approached me asking for a dance. Before Natsume could speak, I quickly responded. _I can't leave Natsume alone in his state._

"I'm really sorry, but I already have someone," I bowed and then turned to Natsume.

"You want to dance with me again, huh?" he smirked. I could tell he was trying to mask away his pain. His lips were slightly blue and his face slightly pale. _Of course his condition would be worsening. He needs to go to a hospital._

"Don't get ahead of yourself, idiot," I responded, "I just don't want to leave you alone because it's my fault you're like this"

The sky was dark and filled with hundreds of stars when the ball came to an end. I hurried back to the limo with Natsume.

"Hang in there, Natsume," I squeezed his hand, "I'll call Narumi-sensei as soon as we get back."

His eyes were closed when he nodded. _How did he manage to hold up for so long? Natsume… he really is something. _

It was past midnight by the time we got back home. Natsume was lying on the couch, cushioned with several pillows and blankets. I turned on the TV and connected it with Narumi-sensei.

The screen lit up and I spotted the familiar blond hair. "Narumi-sensei!" I cried, "N-Natsume… H-He…" _Shit, tears are coming out again. _"He's injured very badly! He took a bullet for me and he needs help. Narumi-sensei! Please, send help right now!" I blubbered.

"Mikan, calm down," he advised, "Where is he hurt? Where did the bullet go?"

"I-It went through the flank below his shoulder on his back. I wrapped it with bandages and we took the bullet out, but there was a lot of blood loss. Natsume isn't getting any better and his forehead is burning and he looks really pale! Please, send someone over! Please!" I sniffed and try to stop the tears from flowing out. I realized I was deathly afraid for Natsume. "Narumi-sensei! You've got to do something! If it wasn't for me, this wouldn't have happened. Please!"

Narumi-sensei didn't say anything. He looked grave, full of remorse and sadness. "Mikan… I'm sorry. I can't do that. I would like for nothing more than to help Natsume, but I'm afraid I can't."

Suddenly, my tears stopped. "W-What do you mean?" I quietly said. _He can't send someone over to… to help Natsume? But he's extremely injured… This is a joke. You're kidding._

"W-Why? Y-You… Natsume's helping you. He's one of your agents. You can't possibly…" My mind was racing with a billion thoughts. "O-Onegai… Narumi-sensei, you have to send help! You have to do something! Onegai! I'm begging you, please save Natsume! I'm begging you!"

"I'll send a bullet wound medical care kit over, but I can't send a person. Don't let him move too much. I'm really sorry, Mikan. Please take care of Natsume. I'm counting on you."

Suddenly, my tears stopped. I was no longer wailing for help because I knew he wouldn't be sending any—I was boiling with rage instead. My voice was cold and shrill as I spoke. "Natsume is one of your agents! I'm not giving you any information until Natsume gets help. I hate you, Narumi-sensei!" I slammed the coffee table with my fists and shut the screen off.

_Mikan, get yourself together! _I undressed Natsume, taking his top off, being careful not to move him too much. I wrapped some more gauze around his wound, criss-crossing it over his shoulder. I moved quickly, running to get a bucket of cold water and a towel. I wrung the water out and set the cold towel on his forehead. I was about to go grab some more blankets, but Natsume gripped my hand. His eyes were closed, his eyebrows knit together. I kneeled down next to him.

_He looks like he's having a nightmare._ "M…" he mumbled. _M? _"Mikan…"

My eyes widened—_Natsume's calling my name? _I was dumbfounded and found myself staring at him. I tightened my grip around his hand.

_Natsume, you really are sugoi. The average person would've been in critical condition right now… maybe even dead… if they were in your position. _

My eyelids grew heavy and the last image I saw was of Natsume sleeping peacefully.


	7. Wavering

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gakuen Alice!**

**This chapter is on the shorter side, but don't worry, I have a long one coming up! Again, sorry for the dragging on. I hope you enjoy! Please review it, you would make my day! (And motivate me to write more and write faster)**

**Also, I'm trying to come up with a new title for this story… I'm not really feeling the current one right now.**

* * *

**Natsume's POV**

_A man with a white mask that shielded his eyes stood in the distance—Persona. His midnight black hair blended into the bleak darkness. His mouth opened and he spoke, "Natsume, you are gambling your friend's life. You must destroy him at all costs; you friend's life is dependent on it. But if you are captured, you know what to do." The image faded into a dark labyrinth. I was desperately and hopelessly running around with no chance of escaping. "Ruka!" I called out. The shadows lurked behind me, trailing my footsteps. I heard a gun trigger and the next thing I knew, I collapsed on the ground. Suddenly, the darkness gradually began to go away. A familiar voice was yelling, a voice that I somehow longed to hear. A voice that was strangely annoying… A bright ray of light replaced the previous darkness. I began to make out a face. A girl with auburn hair tied in two pigtails. Bright brown eyes that lit up. An innocent smile that could only belong to one person—Mikan. _

When I woke up, I could hear the soft and steady breathing of Mikan. Beads of sweat trickled down my forehead. _So it was just a dream…_

She was kneeling on the carpet, head rested at an angle on the couch. I realized that she was gripping onto my hand and smirked. I sat up, and a towel dropped from my forehead down onto my lap.

_I can't remember what happened after I got into the limo. But I feel a lot better now._

I observed her sleeping face for a while and found myself slowly drawing closer. Her flushed lips seemed so enticing and pulled me in. I leaned down, face less than an inch away from hers, but then she flinched. I quickly returned to my sleeping position and closed my eyes.

It seemed that Mikan had awoken as she let go of my hand and placed it on my forehead. Her hands were warm—_or maybe it was just my forehead._

"It's a lot cooler," she sighed, relieved. She placed a new, cold towel on my forehead and squeezed my hand. "Natsume, hayaku, get better…"

I opened my eyes, which took her by surprise.

"You were awake?" she asked. I nodded.

"How are you feeling? Do you feel any better? Do you feel any discomfort? Do you—"

"I'm hungry," I interrupted. She gently grabbed my shoulders and helped me sit up.

"I'll make you something to eat," she jumped up, and scurried off.

Soon, she was crouched down beside me with a large bowl of porridge.

"What about you?" I asked. _She usually eats more than enough for a small family in a day. She should be starving by now. _

"Daijoubu, don't worry about me," she assured. She moved closer beside me and mumbled, "H-Here… I-I'll feed you because you shouldn't move and strain your shoulder so much."

She picked up the spoon and moved it toward my mouth.

"It's hot," I said, "Blow on it."

"Do it yourself! I'm already embarrassed enough!" She jammed the spoon into my mouth.

"It's too hot," I complained, choking.

"Don't push it," She grumbled, and gave in and blew on the spoon.

"Thanks for the meal," I said, when I finished the bowl of porridge. _She's not bad at cooking at all._

"Ne, Natsume," she began, "This… This isn't your first time getting shot is it?" She looked sullen.

I shook my head. "How did you know?"

"You seemed to know what to do. And you lasted so long without any antiseptics or proper gauze. And all those scars on your body…"

"Don't concern yourself with me and keep your image of the perfect _Narumi-sensei_ and your perfect secret agent life." _Mikan is far too naïve and innocent to be exposed to the kind of darkness I'm in. _

"Narumi-sensei… daikirai." She explained to me what happened last night, not leaving a single detail out.

_That's the second time this has happened...this kind of betrayal. Saying that he'll help someone and then turning on them. _"Check outside. He did say he would send some supplies. The package is probably here by now."

Sure enough, there was a box with medical aid supplies.

"Just give him the information," I said, "I don't want you to get reprimanded later. I'm used to this, so it's fine. The bullet didn't tear apart any vessels or bone or nerves, so no help is really needed." She took out a blood pressure kit, medicine, and some more antiseptics and gauze.

"That's what makes me so angry! You shouldn't be used to this. They have you risk your life for them and then when you need help, they ignore you?! I don't care if I get—"

"And I don't particularly care either if my life is taken."

"Baka! Don't say that! Don't you ever dare say that again… please…" She wrapped more gauze around my arm, circling the wound. Her sudden outburst surprised me.

"Someone like you would never understand," I said impassively.

"I get it, I don't understand. But life is precious! What about the people worried for you? Like your girlfriend, Ruka? You can't just—"

"Ruka? He's my best friend. Stu—pid."

**Mikan's POV**

For an unknown reason, I was strangely relieved when I heard that Ruka was just his best friend.

"I'm stupid? You're the stupid one! You can't be so willing to let go of your life! There are people that are worried about you… I don't understand why you—" I poured hot water into a mug and set it down on the table along with two medicine tablets.

"To the JIA, my life is a damn tool, nothing more and nothing less. When they need it, they'll keep it. When they don't, they'll just toss it away like it's nothing." There was a pause. "I'm going to rest now," he abruptly finished. Quickly, he threw the tablets into his mouth and swallowed it. He bit his lip and winced in pain as he lowered his upper body onto the couch.

"Sleep on my bed and I'll sleep out here. It'll be more comfortable." He shook his head.

* * *

I woke up earlier than I usually did for school. I wanted to check on Natsume, so I quietly crept up on him. I replaced the damp cloth on his forehead with a new one. I used the blood pressure kit that came in the box yesterday to read his blood pressure. _Thank god. Natsume's blood pressure is slowly rising back to the normal rate._

I made a bowl of porridge and arranged it on the coffee table, along with a cup of hot water and two tablets. I shut the door quietly and rushed to school.

"Oi! Mikan!" Anna yelled, waving her hand. I forced a smile and waved back. Everyone seemed to be talking about the ball, even though none of them were actually there.

Nonoko-chan and Hotaru were trailing behind. I made direct eye contact with Hotaru, hinting that I needed to talk to her, but the bell interrupted.

We scrambled to our seats and listened to Jinno-sensei's announcements. The whole class time, I couldn't seem to concentrate. I was staring mindlessly outside the windows, thinking about Natsume. _Is that really how the JIA treats its agents? If it is, then I… _

When the lunch bell rung, Hotaru, Anna, Nonoko-chan, and Iinchou came and circled around my desk.

"Ne ne, Mikan, there are pictures of you in your dress being circled around! Someone managed to take a picture of you and sent it to everyone!" Nonoko-chan squealed, "And there's also a picture of you and Hyuuga-kun together!"

"Sumire and those girls aren't too happy about that though," Anna said, than stopped to examine my face. "What's wrong, Mikan?"

"I noticed that you aren't your usual cheerful self today," Iinchou agreed, "Did something happen?

_Natsume. I'm so worried. It's all my fault. No matter what he says, I know it's my fault. There's no one to blame but me._

"Wha-What…" I trailed off, avoiding eye contact. I wanted to just talk to Hotaru alone, but with them here, I couldn't. "Nothing's wrong," I said weakly. _That was so unconvincing._

Anna and Nonoko-chan exchanged glances. "Does it have something to do with Hyuuga-kun? He's not at school today."

At the sound of his name, I couldn't help it. I buried my face into my knees and shook my head. People in the classroom noticed and I could hear more and more people gathering around. _Damn it… get a grip. Don't be so weak. _

I was unbearably embarrassed that so many people saw me crying. Iinchou wrapped his arm around my shoulder while Anna and Nonoko-chan tried to get everyone away.

I heard the sliding door slam and the room grew quiet. I furiously wiped my tears away with my elbows and looked up to see what was going on.

"Everyone, leave," a voice demanded, "You're all an eyesore." Just like that, everyone backed away. He was taller than everyone, so I could see the top of his head—the raven- haired boy. _Natsume… what… what on earth is he doing here?_

His crimson red eyes caught mine—I could slowly feel the coldness of his eyes melt away. "I just didn't feel like coming to class today," he said coldly, not breaking eye contact with me. His right arm hung limply at his side, so he used his left arm to pull me up.

"Tell Jinno that Mikan doesn't feel well, so she left." He took the blazer part of his uniform off and covered my face with it. "Let's go."

He dragged me toward the door, but was stopped short. "What is this meaning of this, Natsume-kun?" A group of girls had gathered in front of the doorway.

"Move out of the way," he said, obviously irritated, "Do you think I'm obligated to tell you?" His voice showed little emotion.

"N-No… but—" Shouda-san stuttered.

"Then, move." He lightly shoved the girls aside with his injured arm and pulled me forward, past the door.

"Natsume, w-wait. What are you doing here? You should be at home resting. I still need to talk to Hotaru and…" I stopped my feet, but he continued to drag me forward and didn't say anything until we reached the front of the apartment.

* * *

"Where's your keys?" I guess I took too long to respond, because he took me inside his apartment. The door closed behind us and I felt his arms wrap around me. His back was against the wall, so he slid down until he was sitting. I hid my face into his shoulders.

"I came to school because I had a feeling you'd be crying. Turns out I was right."

"I've been crying so much lately, but I swear I normally hardly ever cry." _Ugh, I hate for people to see me so weak like this._

"Hai hai, just if you ever need to cry, come to me. Don't cry in front of anyone else, but me." _Did he really just say that?_

I nodded, "But that's not going to be very often that I do cry."

I sat in between his legs; face still buried in his shoulders, and his left hand running his fingers through my hair.

"Why are you crying anyways, idiot?" he smirked.

"How was I supposed to go to school while you were in such pain? How was I supposed to focus when at any moment, you could be dying? How was I supposed to think when I know you don't treasure your life? What would I do if something happened to you? Do you expect me to just go to school like nothing happened especially when I caused it? Do you know how frightening it would be if something happened to you? Do you know how terrified and worried I am?" My voice faltered and I was trembling.

He didn't respond for a while. We sat there in silence, with nothing but the sniffling of my tears.

"I'm sorry," he said plainly, "I'm sorry. But I'm only alive because of you." I could feel his body warmth.

"I feel so vulnerable and raw and weak and helpless and like extra baggage…" I muttered, "I'm sorry."

He smirked, "You're only allowed to feel like that when you're with me. You look like an ugly baby seal when you cry, so stop."

_It's odd. Even though we met not too long ago and we argue so much, Natsume… Natsume is actually very kind... He puts me at ease and is always by my side…_

"Sorry for being so ugly," I sarcastically retorted, using my sleeves to wipe my eyes.

"If you really want to make it up to me. . . let me do _things _to you," he smirked, placing his hands on my chest, "And when are you gonna grow?"

I raised my fist, ready to punch him, but then he winced. "Who the hell do you think you are?!" I screamed, "Y-You stupid idiot pervert! I can't believe you just did that again! N-Natsume you pervert! I'm gonna get you once you heal!" I was beyond embarrassed.

"I had to take advantage of the situation," he smirked.

"You didn't have to take advantage of anything!" I scowled, "Hentai!" I was about to move as far away as I could from him, but he pulled me back down.

"I sent Naru that photo that you took," he said, "We'll be assigned our next task soon."

I was adamant about refusing to do what they wanted since they abandoned Natsume, but he persuaded me otherwise.

"Wait, Natsume, someone's at the door," I whispered. I sensed movement outside the door and tensed.

They tapped on the door a couple of times. "Natsume, it's me, Ruka!" the voice called.

Natsume gestured for me to open the door, so I did. There in the doorway, stood a boy with golden blond hair and intense blue eyes. He pushed me to the side and rushed down to Natsume's side.


End file.
